How To Recognize & Cook A Few Common Indian Dals (Lentil)-A Collection of Dal Recipes
Dal (Lentil) Identification and Recipes
Reeta Kumar
There are many different lentils eaten in India. Each takes a different time to cook, from minutes to up to an hour. If you eat lentils regularly, I would recommend buying a pressure cooker. It makes cooking much quicker and easier. Get one larger than you think you need, because you can cook smaller amount in a large one, but not the other way around (large amount in a small cooker). Remember, cooker must not be filled more than about 1/3rd, it needs room for pressure to build. If you follow instructions, pressure cooker is quite safe to cook in. After all, every Indian household uses it almost every day!
Do remember that there are many variants in the cooking of a dal. For example, quality of the lentils, softness of water, whether the dal was soaked or not (soaked dals take a little less time), the intensity of heat and the efficiency of your pressure cooker, will all make a difference.
It will get easier as you cook more dals. Remember that if undercooked, you can cook a dal some more but you can't do much with overcooked dal*.
The amount of dal required per person depends on whether you are serving the dal with roti or with rice. Rice requires more dal than chapatties or roties.
Serves 4
Ingredients
200 gm. dal of choice
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
Water to boil the dal. See each dal for amount
Other additions to dals can be
Finely chopped coriander leaves, added after cooking is finished
A handful of dry methi (fenugreek leaves) or a bunch of chopped, fresh methi leaves
1/2 to 1 tsp. garam masala
2-3 khatai slices (dry, raw mango slices) or a chunky slice of lemon, added during cooking
Ingredients for basic tarka:
2-3 tbsp. ghee or oil. Ghee tastes better but oil is healthier.
1 tsp. cumin seeds
A large pinch of asafoetida powder
2-3 whole red chillies broken up
1/2 tsp. chilli powder
For other types of tarka, see notes below
Instructions
General Instructions for all dals:
Wash dal well before cooking.
If cooking whole dals, soak in water for a couple of hours or overnight.
The amounts of water to cook a dal is less for pressure cooker. Add extra water when cooking without a pressure cooker, as it has to boil longer. DALS SHOULD BE SOFT, BUT NOT MUSHY WHEN READY.
Add salt and turmeric during the boiling stage.
Cooking Different dals:
Urad/Urid Dal Skinless (Split Black Gram), Cooked with Whole Spices
Basic tarka or tempering:
Heat ghee or oil in a tarka ladle (from Indian store) or a small pan, until smoking hot. Cast iron Indian ladle gives a nicer flavour. Ghee tastes better but oil is fine too.
Add cumin and asafoetida powder and let the seeds start to splutter. If the oil/ghee is properly heated, this happens within seconds. Add whole chillies and chilli powder, stir with a small spoon, add to the cooked dal and cover with a lid immediately. This infuses the flours and gives a nice, 'smoky' aroma to the dal. Leave the lid one.
Other variations of Tarkas or Tempering:
1. Heat oil. Add 1 tsp. mustard. Add a 10-12 curry leaves, 1 broken up dry red chilli and 1/4 tsp. chilli powder. Pour over dal and close the lid. Or 2. Curry sauce type tempering/tarka; Heat oil, add 1 tsp. cumin seeds, add 1 chopped onion and fry until golden brown. Add 2-3 chopped tomatoes and 2 tsp. Curry Powder or Sambhar Powder. Fry until oil separates. Add to dal. Or 3. Heat oil. Add a little grated ginger and/or garlic, fry until beginning to turn golden brown and then add 1 tsp. cumin/mustard seeds. When seeds splutter/crackle, add 2-3 dry whole chillies and 1 tsp. chilli powder. Pour over the dal. Close the lid, to infuse flavours. Or 4. After spluttering the cumin/mustard seeds, add 1 tsp. each of grated ginger and garlic, fry until browned, add to dal. No chillies in this version.
Notes
*Overcooked or left over dal can be added to roti or chapatti flour when making a dough. They makes delicious roti and paratha. For parathas, you have to add a little more salt and spices, and perhaps a teasppon of carom or ajwain seeds.
You can add chopped coriander leaves to all dals as a garnish.
